Railways Africa » Asia and Indonesia

NEW LINE IN SRI LANKA

stationmaster — Wed, 29 May 2013 07:26:41 +0000

The 43km Medawachchiya to Madhu Road segment of a 252km project in Sri Lanka has been completed on schedule by Ircon International of India at a cost of $US81.3 million. Train services were officially inaugurated by minister of transport Kumara Welgama and minister for economic development Basil Rajapaksa. The 62km Omanthai-Killinochchi section is due to open by July 2013.

INDIAN RAILWAY MINISTER RESIGNS

stationmaster — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:26:02 +0000

Federal investigators in India have arrested five people, including railways ministry official Mahesh Kumar, who allegedly paid $US166,000 to Vijay Singla for securing a “plum appointment” to the railway board. Simgla is the nephew of railways minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who has resigned in the wake of the bribery scandal. He has been replaced by C P Joshi who continues in his current position as minister for road transport and highways, the Times of India reports.

INDIAN LOCOMOTIVE FACTORY APPROVED

stationmaster — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:09:16 +0000

The government of India is to call for bids relating to the creation of “two modern locomotive factories” in Bihar, to be developed as PPP joint ventures with international locomotive suppliers. They would be required to meet international standards of energy efficiency, with accompanying performance guarantees. ”Significant” foreign investment is foreseen. In the course of about 12 years after commissioning, the envisaged Marhora plant is expected to manufacture about a thousand diesel-electric locomotives. The Madhepura factory is projected as completing some 800 electric locomotives over the same period.

INNOVIA LRT OPENS IN SOUTH KOREA

stationmaster — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:00:47 +0000

Passenger services have commenced on the YongIn EverLine LRT system in the city of YongIn, South Korea. Mostly elevated, the 18km fully-automated Bombardier Innovia ART 200 advanced rapid transit system links the Seoul metropolitan subway with Everland, via YongIn City, which is described as the region’s “recreational and entertainment capital”. Bombardier’s scope for the YongIn EverLine System included overall project management of the complete system as well as electrical and mechanical systems. Thirty vehicles with Bombardier’s linear-induction-motor propulsion technology were included, controlled by Bombardier’s CityFlo 650 automatic train control.

DELHI METRO EXPANSION

stationmaster — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:05:57 +0000

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has awarded Bombardier Transportation a contract to supply its CityFlo 350 mass transit solution for the planned extensions to Line 5 and Line 6. Comprising about 35km of double track with 23 stations, the extensions form part of Delhi’s metro expansion plan Phase 3. The two lines are already operating with Bombardier’s automatic train protection technology. The contract, due for completion in 2016, is valued at approximately $US47 million. Bombardier’s responsibilities will include the design, manufacture and commissioning of the integrated train control and signalling system, comprising control centres, trackside and on-board equipment.

CATENARY-FREE TRAMS FOR NANJING

stationmaster — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:01:33 +0000

Nanjing, capital of China’s Jiangsu Province, is to have two tramlines operating in its downtown districts by 2014. The trams will operate without overhead catenary on 90% of both routes using Bombardier’s Primove Li-Ion battery system. CSR Puzhen is to build the low-floor rolling stock at its Nanjing plant, employing Bombardier Flexity 2 technology; Bombardier will supply the propulsion and control equipment, the bogies and battery systems. It is to maintain the system under a 10-year technology licence agreement signed in 2012. In terms of this, CSR Puzhen manufactures and markets low-floor trams throughout China (including Hong Kong and Macao), using Bombardier technology.

FORMER CHINA RAILWAYS MINISTER UP FOR CORRUPTIUON

stationmaster — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:17:21 +0000

Liu Zhijun, appointed railways minister in China in 2003, was dismissed in February 2011 for unspecified discipline violations and stripped of his position as the ministry’s communist party chief. He has now been charged with corruption, specifically accepting bribes and “abusing his power”. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the indictment accuses Liu of using his status as a state official to seek benefits for others and of accepting large financial incentives. It is claimed that malpractice by Liu caused “huge financial losses for the state”. A trial date is not yet set.

NEW TRAINS FOR SINGAPORE

stationmaster — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:14:21 +0000

To supplement the 73 trainsets already bought for the 42km new Downtown Line (DTL) running from Bukit Panjang through Singapore’s central business district to Expo, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is purchasing 15 more trains from the consortium of Bombardier Transportation GmbH / Bombardier (Singapore) Pte Ltd / Changchun Bombardier Railway Vehicles Company Ltd. The deal, for delivery from 2015, is worth about $US96 million. Designed in Bombardier Transportation’s Hennigsdorf, Germany, office, the trains are assembled in Changchun, China. These additional trains are due for delivery from 2015, in time for the start of operations on DTL stage 2. Bombardier has already delivered five of the 11 trainsets for DTL Stage 1.